IDF strikes Hezbollah targets ‘deep inside’ Lebanon after Israel’s warning over football pitch attack that killed 11
ISRAEL’S military has hit back at terror group Hezbollah with precision strikes “deep inside” Lebanon.
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, had told the Iran-backed terrorist organisation they would “pay a heavy price” after the IDF accused them of a deadly rocket attack on a football pitch.
Young children were among the 11 people who were killed in a strike in Israel-occupied Golan Heights on Saturday, say rescue officials.
Israel’s army called it “the deadliest attack on Israeli civilians” since the October 7 attack that kicked off the war in Gaza.
Hezbollah admitted to hitting the area but said it struck a military base in retaliation for an Israeli attack on a Lebanese village just hours earlier.
Israel evoked their revenge on Sunday with a number of missiles blasting weapons caches and “terrorist infrastructure” in Lebanon, the IDF declared.
The areas hit were Chabriha, Borj El Chmali, Beqaa, Kfarkela, Rab El Thalathine, Khiam, and Tayr Harfa.
Iran warned Israel any new “adventure” into Lebanon could spark further chaos in the Middle East.
The IDF strikes came after Israeli intelligence said Hezbollah was “unequivocally responsible” for the football pitch blast.
IDF Spokesman Daniel Hagari claims they found an Iranian-made Falaq-1 rocket on the pitch made up of over 50kg worth of explosives.
Foreign minister Israel Katz told Israel’s Channel 12, Hezbollah had “crossed all the red lines here” with the strike.
Mr Katz warned the IDF was being pushed towards an all out war after months of exchanging tit-for-tat strikes over Lebanon and Israel.
“Saturday’s massacre constitutes the crossing of all red lines by Hezbollah. This is not an army fighting another army, rather it is a terrorist organisation deliberately shooting at civilians,” the ministry added.
As PM Netanyahu cut his historic trip to the US short after hearing about the attack as he sent out his chilling warning of revenge.
The US described the attack on Israeli civilians as “horrific”.
A Biden administration official told Axios on Saturday: “What happened today could be the trigger we have been worried about and tried to avoid for 10 months.”
The European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said he “strongly condemns this bloodbath” as he called for an investigation into the fatal strikes.
Hezbollah issued a statement saying it had “absolutely nothing to do with the incident”.
Funerals have been held across Golan Heights today to honour the young men and women killed in the blast.
Israel say all the victims were under the age of 20.
The Iran-backed militant group that supports Hamas, has launched renewed attacks against Israel since war broke out in October of last year.
After Hamas stormed the Israeli border on October 7 and killed 1,200 people, the Israeli Defence Forces invaded Gaza to exterminate the terror group.
Following almost a year of bloody warfare in the decimated Strip, where some 35,000 people have died, a full-blown conflict between the two is looking increasingly likely.
Israel’s Defence Forces (IDF) have even been gearing up for a possible invasion by Hezbollah – and preparing to defend against one – for years.
The militant group is thought to have 30,000 to 50,000 fighters and between 120,000 and 200,000 missiles, rockets, attack and reconnaissance drones.
They operate mostly out of southern Lebanon.
Lebanon’s government condemned “all acts of violence and attacks against all civilians,” this evening.
It called for “an immediate cessation of hostilities on all fronts” in a statement, according to national media.
Golan Heights is a few hours between the respective Israel and Lebanon borders.
Israel occupies two thirds of the Golan territory, historically part of Syria, and which sits at the southwest border of Syria.
Israel annexed the area in 1981 and Syria has always demanded that the territory be returned.
The IDF claimed on Saturday that since October 8 last year, Hezbollah has launched over 340 UAVs and 6,400 projectiles towards Israel.
Communities of innocent civilians on either side of the border have been hugely affected by exchanges of fire.
The UN says Israeli attacks have forced more than 90,000 people in Lebanon from their homes with some 100 civilians killed, for 366 eliminated Hezbollah fighters.
Israel says around 60,000 of their civilians have been evacuated and 23 civilians have been killed – including 11 this evening in the attack they attribute to Hezbollah.